Knowledge Workers Ethics
Knowledge workers play a vital role in the development and success of a business. As Bovee, Thill, and Mescon (2007) explained, knowledge is the “expertise gained through experience or research.” (p. 30) With this knowledge, comes an ethical responsibility to the employer. As a result, employees of every business sector are faced with situations that require ethical decisions to be made. In fact, some may continue to encounter these situations even after they are no longer employed with a company. Within this essay I will explain what type of knowledge is ethical and unethical for an employee to share with a new employer.
Even after an employee leaves a company, that individual still has ethical responsibilities to that company. Any confidential information or trade secrets obtained by an employee during the course of their employment would be extremely unethical to share. Ethical information that would be okay to share, would be information needed in order for the employee to perform their job. Of course, field specific information would be ethical to share, while information pertaining directly to the other company would not be. For example, a previous employee of Coca-Cola sharing the process of how to carbonate and bottle a soft drink with a new employer would be ethical. However, sharing the actual recipe for Coca-Cola would be unethical.
Still, some information will require an employee to rely on his or her own judgment. To determine whether or not information is ethical to share, an employee can ask themselves a few questions. Does sharing the information break any laws, is it fair to the other company to share this information, and does sharing this information make you feel good about yourself? (Bovee, Thill, Mescon, 2007, p. 71) Considering these questions can assist in making an ethical decision.
As we have seen, individuals within businesses should consider certain principles before divulging company information. An ethical lapse by an employee
Even after an employee leaves a company, that individual still has ethical responsibilities to that company. Any confidential information or trade secrets obtained by an employee during the course of their employment would be extremely unethical to share. Ethical information that would be okay to share, would be information needed in order for the employee to perform their job. Of course, field specific information would be ethical to share, while information pertaining directly to the other company would not be. For example, a previous employee of Coca-Cola sharing the process of how to carbonate and bottle a soft drink with a new employer would be ethical. However, sharing the actual recipe for Coca-Cola would be unethical.
Still, some information will require an employee to rely on his or her own judgment. To determine whether or not information is ethical to share, an employee can ask themselves a few questions. Does sharing the information break any laws, is it fair to the other company to share this information, and does sharing this information make you feel good about yourself? (Bovee, Thill, Mescon, 2007, p. 71) Considering these questions can assist in making an ethical decision.
As we have seen, individuals within businesses should consider certain principles before divulging company information. An ethical lapse by an employee
Cited: Bovee, C.L., Thill, J.V., & Mescon, M.H. (2007). Excellence in Business (Custom Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.